ORGINS Seminar: "Rational Design, Synthesis, Conformational Analysis, and Opioid Activity of cyclo[Pro-Sar-Phe-D-Phe] and Its Analogs"
Monday, November 23, 2020 - 4:00pm
Since 1999, approximately 450,000 people have died from an overdose involving an opioid. Medications that treat individuals suffering from pain or addiction are urgently needed to help stem the opioid overdose epidemic. We recently reported on the cyclic tetrapeptide cyclo[Pro-Sar-Phe-D-Phe], which possesses mixed opioid activity and demonstrates utility in treating pain and attenuating the rewarding effects of cocaine, morphine, and alcohol in mouse model systems. Notably, this peptide is both orally bioavailable and blood-brain barrier permeable, properties that are unique for a peptide.